Usage of shipping pallets made predominantly of corrugated paperboard material is widespread, primarily because of their low cost, recyclability, and cleanliness. Typically, such pallets employ longitudinally extending, transversely spaced stringers, which are made from folded pieces of corrugated paperboard. Such pallets also may employ transversely extending, longitudinally spaced decking members, which also are made from folded pieces of corrugated paperboard. Further, it is known to provide such pallets with upper and lower sheets, which are secured adhesively to the upper and lower edges of the stringers.
As described above, shipping pallets made predominantly of paperboard material, such as corrugated paperboard, are exemplified in Schmidtke U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,325, Quasnick U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,074, and Smith U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,991. Similar pallets made predominantly of corrugated paperboard are available commercially from Gate Pallet Systems, Inc. of Crown Point, Ind., under its PAYLOAD trademark.
Other pallets of related interest are disclosed in Hermitage U.S. Pat. No. 2,728,545, Houle U.S. Pat. No. 3,131,656, Gifford U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,371, Childs U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,534, Roberts U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,822, Melli U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,377, British Patent Specification No. 996,516, German Patent No. 1,250,352, and Swiss Patent No. 512,367.
As disclosed in Smith U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,991, it is known to increase the lateral stability and load-carrying capacity of such a pallet by means of tubular reinforcing pieces, which have slots interengaging with slots in the stringers. It is disclosed therein that tightly wound paper tubing, such as that used for cores for paper rolls, is a suitable material for such pieces.
This invention has resulted from efforts further to increase the lateral stability and load-carrying capacity of such a pallet.